MANILA, Philippines—Justice Secretary Leila De Lima on Tuesday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a parallel probe on the circumstances surrounding the escape of three Chinese drug lords last Feb. 21.

Li Lan Yan alias Jackson Dy, his wife Wang Li Na and Li Tian Hua were snatched by armed men last Feb. 21 while on their way to attend a court hearing.

Police arrested four people, among them a village chief in Imus City, for their alleged participation in the escape of the said Chinese drug convicts from jail personnel in Cavite.

The criminal gang, so named because its members are natives of Ozamiz City, was allegedly behind the “rescue operation” of the Chinese convicts from the hands of the Cavite provincial guards. They were reportedly paid a certain amount for the drug convicts’ escape.

De Lima said she wanted to know where the amount paid to the armed men went.

“Also, why Jackson Dy and company are not in the NBP (National Bilibid Prison) custody because supposedly they are already convicted. If accused in one case had been convicted, he should be transferred to the NBP following a Supreme Court circular,” she said.

But if the convict has other case or cases, especially drug related cases, the hearings are conducted inside the NBP, De Lima said.

She added that she also wanted to know if the handling prosecutors objected to the stay of Dy’s group in Cavite instead of the NBP.

De Lima said she found it questionable why Dy and his group were taken out of prison at 10 a.m. on Feb. 21 to attend a court hearing which was scheduled at 8:30 am.

“Of if there was such a scheduled hearing in the first place,” she added. With a report from Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon

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